Date: Friday, March 7, 2008
Pentagon Bans Google Map
US military officials have banned Google from filming inside their military bases after a massive security scare prompted by their Google Maps service. The officials believe that the search engine giant’s detailed maps pose a “potential threat” to national security.
Military officials made this announcement after revealing images were found on Google Map’s Street View service. Street View, which is only available in the US so far, allows users to experience a virtual drive through the country, viewing detailed 3D maps and images as they pass. According to a statement released by the defence department, “Images include 360-degree views of the covered area to include access control points, barriers, headquarters, facilities and community areas.”
Google spokesperson Larry Yu said that their decision to enter the Texas military base had been a mistake. He said: “In this instance, the operator of the vehicle with the camera on top - which is how we go about capturing imagery for Street-View - requested permission to access a military installation, was given access, and after learning of the incident we quickly removed the imagery.”
Following the removal of the initial offending imagery, defence officials are thought to be carrying out further investigations as to what other imagery is available on Google Street View and Google Earth, a ‘virtual globe’ that offers aerial views of the Earth. However, defence bosses might not be able to remove offending maps and images if they were taken from public streets.
This row is not the first time that Google Earth and Google Street View have attracted complaints; some individuals depicted in images have also expressed their concern. However, Mr Yu assured the public that Google would listen to any privacy and security fears. He said: “We try to have a compliant image removal policy - not only relative to the military but to consumers also. If people have concerns, they should contact us.”
Source:
BBC
Daily Telegraph
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